33 NFF National Scholar-Athletes on Week 1 NFL Rosters
Thirty-three former NFF National Scholar-Athletes/William V. Campbell Trophy® finalists appeared on NFL rosters or practice squads as the 2019 regular season kicked off over the weekend. The group includes three Campbell Trophy® recipients in Micah Kiser (Virginia-2017), Alex Mack (California-2008) and Christian Wilkins (Clemson-2018); two Super Bowl MVPs in Drew Brees (Purdue-2000) and Eli Manning (Ole Miss-2003); six Pro Bowlers; and six first-round picks.
In addition to Wilkins, seven other members of the most recent NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class from 2018 are on NFL teams: D’Cota Dixon (Wisconsin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Ryan Finley (NC State – Cincinnati Bengals), Trace McSorley (Penn State – Baltimore Ravens), Dalton Risner (Kansas State – Denver Broncos), Max Scharping (Northern Illinois – Houston Texans), Easton Stick (North Dakota State – Los Angeles Chargers) and Drue Tranquill (Notre Dame – Los Angeles Chargers).
Twenty-five NFL teams boast at least one former NFF National Scholar-Athlete and several teams hold multiple NFF National Scholar-Athletes on their rosters, led by the Los Angeles Chargers with four. The Buffalo Bills have three while the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants each have two on their rosters.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees holds the spot as the longest-tenured NFF National Scholar-Athlete in the NFL as he enters his 19th season. He claimed honors as a member of the 2000 class from Purdue.
Pictured: Brees, Derek Carr (Fresno State-2013), Tyler Lockett (Kansas State-2014) and Wilkins.